AirTrunk’s ₹3 Lakh Crore Data Centre Expansion Strengthens India’s AI Ecosystem

India's ambitions to become a global hub for artificial intelligence and cloud computing received a major boost on Friday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that Australia-based AirTrunk will invest around ₹3 lakh crore (US$30 billion) in the country and develop more than 5 gigawatts (GW) of data-centre capacity by 2030. The proposed investment is among the largest ever announced for India's digital infrastructure sector and highlights the country's growing importance in the global AI economy.

Following a meeting with AirTrunk Founder and CEO Robin Khuda , Modi said the investment would strengthen India's position as a leading destination for cloud computing , artificial intelligence , and next-generation digital services. He noted that the project is expected to create employment opportunities, support local supply chains and accelerate innovation-led economic growth.

Founded in 2015, AirTrunk has emerged as one of the Asia-Pacific region's leading hyperscale data-centre operators . The company develops and manages large-scale facilities that power global cloud providers, content platforms and enterprise customers. Over the past decade, AirTrunk has expanded rapidly across Australia, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong and Malaysia, building a reputation for operating highly efficient and reliable digital infrastructure. In 2024, the company was acquired by a consortium led by Blackstone and CPP Investments in a deal valued at approximately A$24 billion , underscoring its strategic importance in the fast-growing data-centre industry.

AirTrunk's India entry gained momentum earlier this year through its acquisition of Lumina CloudInfra , which brought with it a development pipeline of nearly 600 MW across Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad . The company has also secured support for a massive project in Maharashtra's Raigad-Pen growth corridor, where investments exceeding US$21 billion and capacity of up to 3 GW have been proposed.

The announcement comes amid an unprecedented surge in data-centre investments across India. Industry giants such as Reliance , Adani , Google , and Microsoft are investing billions of dollars to expand cloud and AI infrastructure as demand for digital services continues to soar. Analysts estimate that India's installed data-centre capacity currently stands at around 1.5 GW , but that figure could rise to between 5 GW and 8 GW by 2030 as new projects come online.

If AirTrunk successfully executes its 5 GW roadmap, the company alone would add more capacity than India's current operational data-centre footprint. However, experts note that ensuring adequate power supply , renewable energy integration , and water resources will be critical to the long-term success of such large-scale projects.

As countries worldwide compete to build the infrastructure that will power the AI revolution, AirTrunk's landmark investment signals growing confidence in India's ability to emerge as one of the world's most important centres for digital infrastructure, cloud services and artificial intelligence over the coming decade.